A week passed in the blink of an eye. Before Lin Kai even realized it, he'd been with the Ji family for more than twenty-one days.
As the first light of dawn brightened the horizon, no bells tolled to wake the servants. After all, it was their day off. Yet, Lin Kai and many others had already instinctively woken up.
"Ugh... How long is it going to take me to perfect this?" Lin Kai groaned, sitting on his bed with his eyes closed. He had been practicing his skill for the past week, but the progress was so insignificant that he began to question why he was even bothering.
Although he had grown used to the surroundings in his room, he still struggled to use the skill properly while outside his room. The sheer number of small pebbles, leaves, and other objects made it difficult for him to discern everything in detail.
"Forget it." Gritting his teeth in frustration, Lin Kai got up, glanced at the barely lit sky, and headed toward the herb mountain. Even though he couldn't use his skill effectively, he wanted to try searching for herbs. While the skill or rune could make things easier, he still had a hidden trick up his sleeve.
With renewed determination, Lin Kai arrived at the foothill of the mountain. Unlike other places, this area was blocked off by giant wooden walls made from Iron Bamboo, with the only entry point being a guarded gate. Before Lin Kai even arrived there, he could already see a small group of people standing there in line, waiting their turn to enter.
"Already so many people?" Lin Kai muttered, surprised. He had thought he was early, but it seemed like ten others had beaten him to it.
Speechless, he joined the line and waited for his turn. Thankfully, the process moved quickly. The guards checked each person's wooden token before allowing them through. Soon, it was Lin Kai's turn.
The guard took Lin Kai's token, inspecting it briefly before handing it back and motioning for him to proceed.
"That's it?" Lin Kai mumbled as he passed by the gate, now standing at the base of the mountain. He had expected the process to be more complex, maybe even some guidance from the guards. But not only did they not teach him anything, they didn't even bother asking for his name.
Shaking his head, Lin Kai surveyed the giant mountain ahead, covered in trees, grass, and narrow winding paths. There were no clear routes; one simply had to choose a dirt path and hope for the best. Whether or not one survived or returned with something valuable depended on luck.
After scanning the various paths, Lin Kai randomly chose one and began his ascent. It wasn't until after an hour of climbing that he finally paused to look back.
Beneath him, tiny ant-sized figures of Ji family servants moved about. He glanced around, hoping to see something noteworthy, but everything seemed still. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
"Ugh..." Lin Kai debated whether or not to use his skill. It was impossible for him to spot any precious herbs by relying solely on his eyes, after all, he hadn't learned anything about herbs or how to identify them.
Suddenly, a whimsical thought crossed his mind: perhaps using his ability might lead him to something extraordinary, like a guiding light that would show him where the precious herbs were.
But it was all wishful thinking. The moment he activated his skill, his mind became overwhelmed. The number of plants, rocks, and debris cluttered his senses, making it even worse than in the bamboo forest.
"Fuck," Lin Kai cursed under his breath, quickly shutting off the skill. He had come here impulsively, with no knowledge of herbs or how to recognize them. Now that his skill wasn't working as he'd hoped, frustration began to gnaw at him.
"Can I upgrade this skill?" Lin Kai couldn't help but think about the Iron Bamboo trees. He recalled absorbing ten more Iron Bamboo even after he stepped into the eighth realm. Perhaps, he could try to absorb more runes of exploitation. Maybe the same rule applied to this skill and he could take it to the next level too.
"But how?" While his idea was plausible, there was no clear way to implement it. To acquire more runes, he needed money—something he was desperately lacking.
With no other option, he decided to rely on his ace in the hole. Taking out some pieces of cloth from his robes, he wrapped them around his hands and approached the nearest strange-looking plant. He took a deep breath, grabbed the plant, and waited for a moment. When no new window appeared, he uprooted the plant and waited again. Still, there was no notification.
This was his secret weapon—the method he was counting on to find the valuable herbs.
"Umm..." Though disappointed, Lin Kai wasn't surprised. It would have been strange if the very first plant he picked up turned out to be a treasure. He tossed it aside and moved on to the next plant. He even wrapped his hands tightly in clothes just to avoid the potential case of accidentally touching a toxic plant. As for whether the cloth would be enough to protect him... he wasn't sure.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes stretched into hours as Lin Kai wandered through the area, picking up every odd-looking plant he could find. There were so many that, at times, he ended up testing plants he had already examined.
As the sun reached its peak overhead, Lin Kai's hope began to fade. Before arriving here, he had been filled with excitement, even overconfidence, thinking he could easily find treasures with the panel's help. But reality gave him a loud slap. Even with the panel, he hadn't found a single precious herb.
"Screw it." Finally, after countless failed attempts, Lin Kai set his sights on the dense forest in the distance. He knew it was risky. If he encountered a powerful beast, it would likely be the end of him. But desperate for money and progress, he gritted his teeth.
"Well, it can't be that bad, right? There shouldn't be any beasts in the outer skirts..." Lin Kai muttered as if consoling himself. He had only heard about the beasts during his stay at the Martial Hall. He didn't know if they were divided into grades like humans, but that didn't matter now. The only thing on his mind was hoping he wouldn't run into one of them.
After a long hesitation, Lin Kai made up his mind. Gritting his teeth, he began to walk toward the dense forest ahead.
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The moment Lin Kai entered the deep forest, the atmosphere changed dramatically. The oppressive air weighed heavily on him, and even the usual chirping of insects was absent. The entire forest felt eerie as if it were haunted.
For a moment, Lin Kai wanted to turn back and leave, but thoughts of the mysterious items in the forest and the powerful abilities he could acquire from them drove him to grit his teeth and press on.
The only comfort was the absence of small plants scattered around. In this area, only the towering, ancient trees dominated the landscape. He briefly considered chopping one down to test if he could absorb its properties, but upon realizing he didn't bring his axe, he abandoned the thought.
"Wait... what's that?" It was at this moment when he was admiring the towering trees that his eyes caught sight of something on the trunk of one of the trees—a faint glow nestled among the moss and dried vines.
"Moonlight Grass?" Lin Kai muttered in disbelief, quickly suppressing his excitement as he cautiously approached. He recognized the herb from the shop in town. Although he hadn't asked for the price, the rare grass had sparked his desire, and he had even considered ways to obtain it, whether through honest means or not.
Finding it here, in this secluded part of the forest, felt like a stroke of luck.
"Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea after all." Lin Kai silently praised his decision.
Without wasting another second, he scanned the area for any signs of danger. After making sure the coast was clear, he gritted his teeth and climbed the tree. The abundance of branches made it easier for him to reach the Moonlight Grass. As his fingers brushed against the plant, a familiar window popped up in front of him before he even plucked this grass.
[Absorb Moonlight Grass?]
[Yes/No]
Lin Kai hesitated. He already knew the risks of absorbing something through his previous experiences. So, instead of acting rashly, he carefully stored the Moonlight Grass inside his robe before climbing back down.
"Should I explore further?" After getting the moonlight grass, he didn't immediately leave but pondered for a moment, unsure if venturing deeper was worth the risk. Coming to this part of the forest had already been dangerous enough, and he had been lucky not to encounter any beasts. Going further could mean putting his life on the line.
After weighing the options for a long moment, he decided against exploring any deeper. There would be plenty of time to explore once he was stronger. Until then, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"Phew..." He exhaled in relief, his decision made, and turned around to retrace his steps.
But just as he was about to leave, a sudden noise echoed through the trees.
"Urrgh, urrgh!"
Lin Kai froze. Slowly turning around, his heart sank as he laid eyes on the creature standing a mere twenty meters away.
It was a giant boar, easily three times the size of a normal one. The most terrifying feature, however, was the six long, white tusks that jutted upward from its mouth like deadly spears.
"Damn it..." Lin Kai cursed under his breath, realizing the boar had already spotted him. Before he could even think of an escape plan, the beast lowered its head and charged, moving at a speed that seemed impossible for its size.
"FUCK!" Lin Kai shouted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. There was no time to dodge. All he could do was brace himself and hope to survive the impact. He prayed he wouldn't be gravely injured and that he might have a chance to escape afterward.
The boar closed the distance in seconds, and with a deafening crash, it rammed into Lin Kai with the force of an explosion.
"BOOOOOOOOM."
The ground shook violently, and the trees seemed to tremble as the boar's tusks collided with Lin Kai's body. His figure vanished from sight, flung through the air like a ragdoll. If anyone had looked closely, they would've seen Lin Kai embedded deep into a nearby tree, with only his legs sticking out.